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Defining the Diet

Single ingredient might hold key to calorie restriction's benefits

Abstract:
Mice that consume less methionine but otherwise eat a full diet live unusually long, according to a new study. The modified meal induces many of the same physiological changes as does a reduced-calorie diet, an intervention that extends life span in many species. Elucidating the mechanisms behind both gastronomic regimes should reveal the simplest dietary changes that bestow the greatest benefit.